Top Ten Tuesday: Favorites of the Decades

Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday! Once hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, it is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s a weekly book feature where a topical list-prompt is posted and readers respond with their top ten for that prompt. Yours truly tends to go over ten, but hey, what can a passionate reader do?

This week’s topic is: Favorite Books Released In the Last Ten Years (one book for each year)

I was really excited when I saw this post, because I was curious to see which books were published in which year. I made a rule that I couldn’t post from the same author twice, which is challenging, because many of these books are a part of series that I just freaking adored, so it was hard to list only one. I also made a rule, as I was researching lists of books published during a given year, that, once I saw a book I loved, I’d pick it and move on. I’m certain there are gems that deserve to be on this list that I missed, but I also wanted to get some writing done today and couldn’t spent the day debating. So, there is that.

Still, it got exponentially harder once we got to the past three years, as there are just so many good books to read. But it also got a little depressing to realize how many books I’d see on the lists of books published during the given year I was looking up, that made me think, “Oh yeah, I still need to read that.”

Like, honestly, do I even read, with how many books I still need to?

*sighs before moving onto the list*

2019: Seven Shades of Black by Sam Sykes and The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

I feel like I’m cheating already by picking two books for this year (and by including this year to begin with, especially since it isn’t over yet), but I just couldn’t miss a chance to highlight these two gems, both of which were positively incredible and I just…yes. So much yes.

2018: Couldn’t pick.

I didn’t pick one for this year because I honestly just couldn’t pick (and I cheated, with having a tie for this year so far, so…).

2017: Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

I knew this book would be on this list even if I couldn’t remember exactly which year this book was published. This will be a favorite for the rest of my life, I have no doubt. But there were a LOT of quality books published this year, so there are a handful of others I could have picked, too.

2016: Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

A gem of a read that I really need to continue reading the rest of the series, because wow am I behind.

2015: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher

I just love this book. I just love it to pieces. I am very eager for the sequel (but happy to wait patiently for it!), but I think this book was just incredible. I loved the way men acted in this book (well, most of them) and the world that we got to experience and escape to, for a little bit.

2014: The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks

The book that broke me. The book that got me into book blogging (albeit accidentally) because the ending shattered me so much, I couldn’t do anything but rant about it on my blog. I love this entire series, but this book in particular is a highlight for me. I don’t think I’m going to survive it’s upcoming reread to prep for The Lightbringer’s release, honestly.

2013: A Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan

Though I just read this book *coughlastOctobercough*, realizing it was published in 2013 only makes me wish I would have read it sooner. Although, I am pretty grateful I got to binge the series all the way through, because having to wait for the next book would have been ROUGH.

2012: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Another one that I read much closer to the present date than it’s publication date (and I’m only three volumes in, so please, NO SPOILERS), but wow did this comic shatter me in every possible way as I read the whole thing in one sitting in my hotel room.

2011: The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

As soon as I realized this was published in 2011, I knew it had to be on this list. I won’t lie: a lot of the finer details from this series are fuzzy, but I remember the feeling of reading these books very vividly: full of wonder, awe and enjoyment, always wanting to know what happens next.

2010: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I mean, I did binge-read this book during a 16 hour car ride across the country and then immediately bought the sequel so I could binge-read that on the ride back home a week later, so…

Were any of these on your list? Any books that I should have highlighted? Let me know in the comments below and please, share your TTT lists with me so I can stop by and visit those, too!

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Published by Nicole Evans

Nicole Evans is a writer of fantasy and science fiction. She is currently unpublished and is working fervently to get the "un" removed from that statement. With seven books under her belt and more on the way, she loves to write about destined heroes who fail anyway, twisting classic tropes on their heads, animals who feel more like people and, hopefully, about characters and worlds for you to have an opinion about.
She really can't wait for you to read these stories.
Considering she has run out of space for putting rejections letters up on her wall, Nicole now uses her spare time doing the typical things that nerds do: blogging, dying repeatedly during video games (which she believes is retribution for the characters' she's killed), wishing she was the character she is currently reading about and trying to fight off the real world by living in her own head, with varying degrees of success. Nicole has a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Film and Media Studies, and works as an an academic advisor by day and a SFF editor by night.
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18 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Favorites of the Decades”

We have pretty different lists, but a lot of your choices were runner’s up for me! Aeronaut’s Windlass almost ended up on my list, but A Darker Shade of Magic will forever by first in my heart. I edged out Way of Kings in favor of Changes from Dresden Files because that book just had so many things come to a head and broke my heart at the same time. But really, so many good options!

I really enjoyed your list, too (even though, I won’t lie, I hadn’t read most of them!). I totally understand your choice with Changes. It’s just been so long since I’ve read those novels, I struggle to remember a lot of the finer details!

Ha, thank you! Oh, I definitely didn’t read most of those during the same year it was released–most of them, well after. I’m definitely the worst when it comes to reading books in a “timely” manner (if there even is such a thing).

Agreed, it was so hard to pick! A lot of the books on your list were strong contenders for mine as well, but alas, there can be only one per year (or at least I forced myself to choose just one, lol). Books like Aeronaut’s Windlass, Age of Myth, Promise of Blood, Kings of the Wyld…while they did not make my list, I still loved them to bits!

Exactly! I know there are so many books that deserve to be on this list and I love them to pieces, but I went with the first book I realized was published that year so I wouldn’t spend hours agonizing on what my “true” favorite of that year was.

That’s a good rule!! I think Robin Hobb would have occupied half of my list. 😛 And oooh speaking of KKC, since we got news re: Thorn of Emberlain, I’m hoping we’ll hear *something* about The Door of Stone before the end of the year! Oh and I really really want to try Ruin of Kings before book 2 drops!

Gosh, I still need to read Robin Hobb!!! I seriously need to read her, I am so behind. Gosh, I freakin’ panic flailed after I heard about Thorn of Emberlain!! (Though, I still need to read the third book…). Gosh, wouldn’t that be mental, to hear about The Door of Stone!? Yes, do read it! The Ruin of Kings is SO, SO GOOD.

Hi there! This is Nicole, a twenty-something all-around nerd, considering I’m a: SFF writer, freelance editor, blogger, book reviewer and a gamer. Welcome to my corner of the internet! I hope you feel welcome here as we rant about books, lament over writing and prolly get a little too personal.

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